Riki Nelson

"Life Artist", Riki Nelson sees life as a work of art in progress.In her oil paintings, Riki strives to capture the power and emotion that is intrinsic to each unique moment of life.

"There is so much 'living art' all around us, all the time," she says. "I can be walking down a city street, or standing on a bluff overlooking the sea, and be completely overwhelmed by the artistic potential in everything my eye surveys. It is not the place or the people alone that captivate, but the SPIRIT, or soul if you will, of the person, place, or situation, that reaches out to me. It is beyond what can be seen, and yet it compels, perhaps even challenges me, to capture it."

Riki's painting process is that of dedication, study, and intense creative vision. It is not unusual for her to work 20 hours or more in a single session, watching the sun come up as she works, so as not to lose the mental picture of the final piece that her mind's eye has given her.

Riki was born in southern California, where she lived until she was 8 years old, before her family moved to the Silicon Valley. She currently resides in Los Gatos.

Riki professes to being greatly influenced by such artists as Richard Diebenkorn and Edgar Payne. She is a fan of both traditional and contemporary art, "if it's good, it's good, and that can transcend style, genre, and even medium", she says.

She is perpetually ‘haunting' museums and galleries, not only due to her great love of the arts, but to further learn from the works of great artists and masters of painting, both living and not.

Riki grew up in a creative home, where literature and art were as important as food and shelter. Her family owned an art and fine antiques business, and she considers the hours spent handling and examining finely crafted hand made things, and works of art, to be the key to her understanding of the commitment required in becoming a true artists.

In addition to being a professional artist, Riki is also a writer and motivational speaker, giving workshops and seminars that address the needs of emerging artists trying to "find their way" in the professional art world.